Nature Cat: The Movie (2018 Film)
Nature Cat: The Movie is a 2018 animated musical family and comedy film based on the television series Nature Cat, ''on PBS Kids. The film was directed by Adam, David, and Todd Hanerrett, and based on the story and screenplay co-written by Ted Elliot. The plot follows Nature Cat and his friends that lives in their home, and all of a sudden, they went through the magical portal, and they live in Las Vegas, and they must look for someone to help them get back home, and to stop their archenemy, the fiendish, contemptible cat, Mr. Greedy. In addition to the show’s regular voice cast, the film features the voices of Joan Cusack, Tom Holland, Ariel Winter, Zendaya Coleman, Olivia Munn, Taye Diggs, Nick Jonas, Maisie Williams, Jemaine Clement, and Rosemarie Ford as new characters. The film was distributed by 20th Century Fox, and it premiered on September 23rd, 2018, and was released on October 12th, 2018 in North America. The film received positive reviews from critics, and grossed over $87 million worldwide on a $8.2 million budget. Plot Nature Cat, Hal, Daisy, and Squeeks were living in their home, until all of a sudden, they went through the magical portal, and now they live in Las Vegas, and they must look for someone to help them get back home, and defeat the fiendish, contemptible cat, Mr. Greedy. Cast * Taran Killam as Nature Cat * Bobby Moynihan as Hal * Kate Micucci as Daisy * Kate McKinnon as Squeeks * Keenan Thompson as Ronald * Chris Pannell as Houston/additional voices * Bobby Lee as MC Ferret * Ariana Grande as Wendy, the rockstar cat with a snooty attitude * Joan Cusack as Karina * Tom Holland as Eric Reef * Nick Jonas as Dave Reef * Maisie Williams as Julie Reef * Ariel Winter as Catalina (Nature Cat’s love interest) * Zendaya Coleman as Hayley (Hal’s love interest) * Taye Diggs as Dawson * Olivia Munn as Katie * Jemaine Clement as Mr. Greedy, the main antagonist of the film * Rosemarie Ford as Audrey, a friendly Dalmatian who helps Nature Cat and his friends find their way home. (Audrey The Dalmatian had been inspired by the actress, ''Audrey Hepburn.) Production Casting The intitial 20th Century Fox listed the principal voice cast for Nature Cat: The Movie - ''Taran Killam, Bobby Moynihan, Kate McKinnon, Kate Micucci, Keenan Thompson, Chris Pannel and Bobby Lee - reprising their roles alongside Rosemarie Ford as a new character. On February 11th, 2017, Zendaya Coleman joined the voice cast. By April 25th, 2017, actors Ariel Winter and Tom Holland were in negotiations to join the cast. On May 15th, 2017, Jemaine Clement and Joan Cusack were confirmed additions for the cast. On June 15th, Nick Jonas joined the cast, and he also stated through Twitter that he had begun recording for the film’s song called “''Friends Until The End.” On July 2017, Maisie Williams And Taye Diggs had joined the cast for the movie. At the San Diego Comic-con on August 2017, singer Ariana Grande was announced to be portraying “a rockstar cat with an attitude” named Wendy. On January 20th, 2018, it was reported by Variety that Olivia Munn had joined the cast. Release On June 18th, 2015, 20th Century Fox announced that they would distribute and market the film worldwide except in China. The film was showcased at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival on May 10 along with eight other 20th Century Fox features to help them sell the film to international distributors. Nature Cat: The Movie ''was originally scheduled for a release date on November 9th, 2018, but it was subsquently moved up to October 12th, 2018. A private premiere screening was held in New York City on September 23rd, 2018, 19 days before prior to the nationwide release date. '''Home Media' Nature Cat: The Movie ''was released on December 18th, 2018, for digital downloads, and will be later released on January 8th, 2019 for DVD, Blu-ray, and on Demand, It special features includes a deleted scene, a music video for the song, “Friends Until The End”, two Nature Cat episodes, ''“A Prickly Problem” ''and ''“Ze Worm Whisperer” and a sneak peek of a new upcoming animated movie from Blue Sky & Fox, “Nimona” ''coming to theaters in 2020. However, the home media release lacks a Dolby Atmos soundtrack and instead has a standard DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. Reception ''Nature Cat: The Movie ''has grossed $51.8 million in the United States and Canada, and $68.7 million in other territories for a worldwide total of $120.5 million on a production of $9.6 million. In the United States and Canada, the film was expected to gross between $12 million and $19 million from 2,528 theaters in its opening weekend. It made $9 million on its first day, including $300,000 million from Thursday night previews. It ended up opening to $8.9 million finishing fourth at the box office behind ''Logan, The Old Man & The Gun, ''and ''First Man. ''Amid Amidi of ''Cartoon Brew ''stated that the movie is a pure delight to kids and adults, and it that It could be a possibility that ''Nature Cat ''will probably get a sequel in the not-so-distant future. '''Critical Response' On review aggregator on Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval 92% based on 230 reviews with an average rating of 8.6/10. The site’s critical consensus reads “''Admirable animation, lovable characters, and a heartfelt plot, Nature Cat: The Movie is an absolute delight that will not only please kids, but adults and teens as well.” On Metacritic, The film weighted average score of 85 out of 100, based on 47 critics, indicating “universal acclaim.” Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of ‘A’ on an A+ to F scale. Katie Walsh of ''Los Angeles Times ''wrote “''Nature Cat: The Movie is an astonishingly enjoyable with adorable characters, there are also some touching memories with this movie that warms my heart.” ''She also remarked on the film’s animation, saying “''embraces the gorgeous, nostalgic, and colorful animation.” ''Christy Lenore of RogerEbert.com gave the film 3.8 stars out of 4, praising the narrative as being “a ''heartfelt masterpiece” and “a multitude of well-adjusted characters” ''and commending the film for retaining ''Nature Cat television series cast and staff. Josh Terry of Desert News ''praised the film saying “''Nature Cat: The Movie is Frozen done right.” Upcoming Sequel On November 8th, 2018, it was confirmed that ''Nature Cat: The Movie ''will be getting a possible sequel somewhere in 2020. It was confirmed that the directors, Adam, David, and Todd Hanerrett will be returning to direct the sequel. It had also been confirmed that the original voice cast including Ariel Winter, and Zendaya Coleman will be reprising their role, (excluding Kenan Thompson). However, he is in talks of playing a new character in the sequel. It was also confirmed that Daisy and Squeeks will also be having a love interest for the sequel. Taraji P. Henson is now in talks to play a new character in the sequel. Category:Movies